Adolescence: your changing body
You're turning your back on your childhood and want to choose your own way of life, but you don't really know where this new budding independence will take you. You're no longer a child and won't accept being treated as such anymore. But that doesn't stop adults from not taking you seriously and you don't like it.
© Jupiter
You may have become irritable and everyone around you keeps saying it's the teenage crisis, which of course annoys you even more. And as if all that wasn't complicated enough, you also see your body changing because of hormones. Boys, you're starting to get stubble and may have to start shaving in the morning. Girls, you're starting to grow breasts and have to add a new item to your wardrobe: a bra. Well here you have it, puberty. At the end of it all, your body will finally be adult.
A varying timeline
Every teenager's puberty is different. Changes to the body take several years, between two and five years on average. There is no official date for starting the process either. Girls generally start puberty before boys: some may start as early as aged ten and a half, sometimes even earlier, but others may have to wait till fourteen before they see their breasts develop. Boys normally have to wait until thirteen to fifteen on average before getting enough facial hair to qualify as a beard.
Growing up: being in tune with your new body
Puberty means growth: within a few months your body will grow, sometimes you'll put on weight, and you'll perhaps no longer know how to dress or how to behave. Collapsed in a chair, or head bent for fear of hitting the doorjamb, you'll hesitate to look at yourself in the mirror, unless of course, you're so pleased with your new look that you spend all your time stood in front of it!
Don't worry, you'll soon get used to your new body; you'll learn how to keep in shape with suitable physical exercise and the right personal hygiene. And soon enough, boy or girl, you'll learn to use your new body to charm the opposite sex!
Copyright © 2010 Doctissimo
Posted 30.06.2010
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